House of the Dragonflies
by Jun-I
Summary: Chapter 11: A mini-mutiny among the samurai erupts over a plate of mochi that Katsushiro has made. Is Kanbei leader of the samurai only in name? AU. Warning: yaoi. Kan x Kyuu
1. Opening Night

It was the opening night of Ayamaro's new night club House of the Dragonflies, located at the intersection of Cherry Street and Pine Avenue in Iyashi no Sato.

Once the happy (and incidentally all male) guests filled the place, the club owner made his grand entrance. Biwa music started on cue as Ayamaro stepped out of his iron-ox carriage and entered the club, waddling down the red carpet leading to the stage. The merchant, dressed in all his fabulous flamboyance, had a gorgeous drag queen on each arm.

The drag queen on his left had perfectly coiffed black hair. He wore a cream velvet overcoat over a pink high-collared silk blouse. His black lipstick contrasted starkly with his pale skin.

The drag queen on the merchant's right was a blonde in a long, elegant red gown.

Seated at one of the tables next to the red carpet were four samurai. The two older ones were tall and dark. The two younger ones were pale-skinned. Of these two young men, one was a cheerful redhead. The other was a blond who did not seem to be having a good time.

--

As Ayamaro's drag queen bodyguards sashayed down the carpet with their employer, Hyogo heard the handsome dark-haired man at a nearby table speak to the fellow sitting on his right, a big man with silver hair.

"See that stunning blonde? What a perfect illusion of graceful femininity!"

"Bleah!" The pale, bespectacled onnagata said jealously under his breath. Kyuuzou always got all the attention from the men. It was just not fair.

--

Sitting with his friends at the table next to the red carpet, Shichiroji stared listlessly into his drink. His three companions were congratulating themselves on getting a table with an excellent view of the stage, but Shichiroji was preparing to be bored out of his mind for the rest of the evening.

Earlier, the bouncer Tessai nearly barred Shichiroji from entering the club because the young man was too 'sloppily dressed' and did not meet the dress code standards. But Gorobei, ever the handsome charmer, succeeded in amusing Tessai with a lizard-eating trick. So the blond buck-toothed man relented and let Shichiroji off with a warning. Still, it was already a bad start to what would prove to be an annoying evening.

Ayamaro had given his long, boring welcome speech. Then he took a seat at the reserved table next to the center stage. The drag queens sat down, flanking him. Shichiroji wondered if Ayamaro's two drag queen companions were going to perform, but they did not. Instead, another onnagata – a redhead dressed in a pink kimono and wearing a nose band, had gotten on stage and was now lip-synching the song 'Unlimited'.

"I can lip synch better than that!" Shichiroji decided.

His friends didn't seem too interested in Nose-Band Lady's performance either. They were currently quite involved in their own inane conversation.

"The illusion is most convincing!" Shimada Kanbei was still staring in the direction of Ayamaro's table, or more specifically, at the foxy 'lady' in red.

"Are you sure that is really a guy?" Gorobei asked Kanbei.

"What would I give to find out!" His friend replied with a grin.

Just then, the drag queen in the crimson gown turned his head slightly and gave Shimada Kanbei an icy glare from across the room. If looks could kill, the dark samurai would have been a dead man.

"Stop it, Kanbei." Shichiroji hissed. "He heard you. You're going to get us thrown out of the club!"

Still, his friend remained undeterred. The dark man gave Kyuuzou his most charming smile. The red-clad drag queen immediately turned his eyes back to the stage, where the second performer of the evening, an ugly blond female impersonator with black lipstick and a mono-eye, was about to start his stand up comedy routine.

Kanbei continued to smile dreamily at Kyuuzou's profile.

"Close your mouth, Kanbei," Heihachi giggled as he tugged at Shimada's sleeve. "You're drooling."

Shichiroji rolled his eyes. "If a guy likes a man who looks like that red queen, he might as well be straight." The blond samurai muttered sourly. "I did not come to a gay club to look at a 'woman'."

He missed the House of the Fireflies, where men were men and women were women.


	2. Party Crashers

Miss Mono-eye's comedy routine dragged on. Observing the garishly made-up blonde performing on stage, Heihachi addressed his friends. "You know, if Miss Mono-eye can qualify as a 'real' performer, maybe we should sign up for open-mic night. It just might land us a real gig. Gorobei, Rikichi and I did a fine drag performance once. Didn't we?"

There was no response from the other samurai at his table. Heihachi turned to look at his friends. They were no longer looking at the performing stage.

Gorobei's expression had suddenly turned serious. His eyes were fixed on the club entrance. Kanbei too, had switched his gaze from Kyuuzou to the entrance.

"Wow, it really must be something major if it could tear Kanbei's eyes away from the foxy scarlet 'woman'!" Heihachi thought. The mechanic looked questioningly at Shichiroji, who put a finger to his lips. The flame-haired samurai wondered what was going on. Did the others hear or sense something that he did not?

--

_Outside the club…_

"Nice try, kid," The bouncer Tessai said as he handed the fake id back to the teenage boy in line at the entry, "But no minors are allowed in the House of the Dragonflies."

"I'm really 18!" Katsushiro protested. "Look at the ID card!"

The blond man crossed his arms impatiently. "Look here, I should really turn you over to the police for using a fake id. But I'll let you off this time."

"I just turned 18 today!" The dark-haired teen in baggy pants insisted.

"Don't waste my time!" Tessai was annoyed. "Try again after your voice has broken. Next in line, please?"

The stocky bouncer pushed the outraged boy out of the line of patrons waiting to enter the club. The next person who stepped up to the door was a 9 foot tall custom-made mecha painted in bright red and yellow.

"Kikuchiyo?" Tessai read the robot's id card. "Your id says you're only 13 years old. You can't come in."

"That must be a mistake!" The mecha roared. "And so what if I'm 13? My friends are in there! Let us through!"

"Nope, rules are rules." Tessai answered irritatedly, chewing on his pipe.

"Obey the rules yourself!" Kikuchiyo retorted. "Don't Kougakyo City regulations state that no smoking is allowed within 5 meters of a business entrance? Yet you're smoking a pipe!"

"I'm not smoking!" Tessai replied. "My pipe is not lit!"

"Whatever," Kikuchiyo said. Then he grabbed Katsushiro's arm and dragged the boy forward towards the entrance.

"We're going in!" The mecha declared firmly. "There's no need to talk rules with a fellow who does not keep the rules himself."

At this, Tessai's considerable patience finally snapped. He rushed in front of Kikuchiyo just as the robot was about to step over the threshold into the club. The bucktoothed man drew his sword.

"Not a step further." The bouncer growled as quietly as he could. Tessai, ever the considerate employee, had no wish to make a scene and ruin Ayamaro's opening night.

But Kikuchiyo was not about to cooperate.

Meanwhile, the coat check attendant manning the booth just beyond the club entry was watching this development with growing alarm. As the robot drew his oversized sword in one exaggerated motion, the white-faced attendant in white uniform spoke into the transmitter clipped to his uniform. "Hyogo! Kyuuzou! We need backup! NOW!"

Inside the club, Hyogo hissed into his transmitter "All right! Kenji! All right! We can hear you just fine! Don't yell! You nearly busted my eardrums!"

Ayamaro turned to Hyogo, a look of concern on his face. "What's Kenji talking about?" the merchant asked.

"It's all right," the pale-faced drag queen said to his employer. "Just a minor disturbance outside. Tessai is handling it."

The black-haired onnagata made eye contact with Kyuuzou, "But one of us better go take a look just in case," the bespectacled man said.

They could not both head out at once and leave Ayamaro unattended. Kyuuzou nodded silently at his colleague. Then the red-clad transvestite got up from his seat and glided towards the door.


	3. Samurai Showdown

Tessai stood between the 9-foot-tall mecha and the club entrance. Keeping his sword pointed at Kikuchiyo, the bouncer studied his opponent. Tessai figured he could probably incapacitate the robot within seven moves, but he was worried about the bystanders. One wrong move could result in injury to a third party, and potentially a lawsuit against the House of the Dragonflies. Sure, they had liability insurance, but still, it would be good to keep the premiums down.

So the blond man kept posturing. "Put away your sword!" He ordered Kikuchiyo in his most authoritative voice.

Kikuchiyo roared, "How about you put yours away first! You coward! I will fight you to the death!"

Katsushiro looked doubtfully from Kikuchiyo to Tessai. This was more trouble than he had bargained for. The child began to back away slowly…

--

_Within the House of the Fireflies…_

Sitting a few tables away from the entrance, Kanbei's sharp ears had already picked up Kikuchiyo's boisterous voice drifting in from outside. The tall dark man was about to get up and head over to the door when the elegant red-clad 'lady' walked past his table. Shimada's eyes followed 'her' to the bar, where a pale-faced boy with black hair in a page-boy cut was mixing drinks.

But it seemed that drag queen was not going to the bar for a beverage. When Kanbei saw the white-uniformed bartender discreetly pass the scarlet 'lady' a red scabbard with twin swords, he knew Kikuchiyo was going to be in big trouble.

Kanbei's eyes met the eyes of the other three samurai at his table. In unspoken agreement, the four men got to their feet and followed after Kyuuzou.

--

The red queen stepped out of the club to see Tessai facing off with a clunky red-and-yellow mecha.

"I'll handle him," the quiet samurai said to his colleague, "You get the bystanders out of the way."

The short haired man was relieved at the arrival of his colleague. But he knew Ayamaro's opening night was not quite out of danger yet. Tessai allowed Kyuuzou to step in front of him, then he moved over to the gathering crowd and started firmly shooing the people away.

Kyuuzou moved his hands to his sword hilts. Kikuchiyo stared at the willowy 'femme' in the long crimson evening gown.

"I am not going to fight a woman!" The mecha shook indignantly.

"Man or woman, a samurai is a samurai," the 'lady' answered coolly. "You, on the other hand, are not a samurai."

"WHAT---!!!" Kikuchiyo roared.

"One can tell from the way you hold your sword," the unsmiling queen stated flatly.

Steam spouted from Kikuchiyo's head. "Man or woman, I'm going to kick your butt!" The mecha boomed as he charged at Kyuuzou.

The red onnagata easily sidestepped. The mecha's sword missed him by a good 2 feet.

Meanwhile, the four samurai had arrived on the scene. Shichiroji clapped his hand to his forehead in despair. "Oh, no!" the blond said. "Not Kikuchiyo again!"

Gorobei was already thinking one step ahead. "Quick!" he said to Heihachi. "Get our swords out of the coat check!"

Heihachi zoomed up to the coat check and gave the black-haired attendant their claim tickets. But the sharp Kenji was not about to make things easy for the samurai. While keeping an eye on the action outside, the white-faced boy took his time trying to match the claim tickets to the swords.

"Hurry! It's those three swords and that one stick over there!" The redheaded mechanic hissed at the white-uniformed attendant, only to be met by a nonchalant stare.

Kanbei, however, was not going to wait for his sword to arrive. Kikuchiyo had thrown a couple more strikes at Kyuuzou, all of which the graceful 'lady' deftly avoided. Looking at the way Kyuuzou moved, the old samurai could tell that this was no limp-wristed singing-and-dancing queen. This was a bad ass b----.

There was the sharp sound of blades clashing. In a flash, the scarlet 'woman' freed Kikuchiyo's giant blade from the mecha's hand with a twist of his lightning fast twin blades. The robot's sword sailed through the air and tore a hole through the new blue-tiled roof of the club's entryway. Then the crimson samurai lifted 'her' right sword. Shimada knew if he waited any longer, Kikuchiyo would be reduced to a heap of scrap metal.


	4. Hentai Old Guy

Tessai had finally succeeded in getting the bystanders gathered outside the House of the Dragonflies to leave the scene of the fight. But the bouncer's conscientious efforts went unnoticed by Kikuchiyo. The mecha's attention was currently focused on avenging himself on the annoying crimson queen who had insulted him earlier.

Kikuchiyo charged blindly at the scarlet samurai who stood between him and the club entrance. Timing his opponent's approach, Kyuuzou was about to cleave the bumbling mecha in half with his right sword when Kanbei came at him from behind. With his right hand, the dark ronin grabbed the female impersonator's right wrist. At the same time, Shimada wrapped his other arm tightly around Kyuuzou, pinning the red samurai's left arm to his body. The tall man spun the slight warrior away from Kikichiyo but the robot could not stop his charge. Kikuchiyo's momentum took him right into the wall of the House of the Dragonflies.

Kikuchiyo crashed through the concrete wall head first. Tessai whipped his head around and stared in the direction of the loud sound. He could see the mecha's legs sticking out of the damaged wall, kicking helplessly. Cries of alarm sounded from within the building. The bouncer groaned. Ayamaro's opening night was officially ruined.

Meanwhile, Shimada's left hand was grabbing at the red queen's right 'breast' while his right hand was twisting Kyuuzou's right wrist rather sharply. The elegant transvestite dropped his sword, not just because his wrist was being twisted but also out of shock that the dark samurai was groping him where no respectable lady should be groped.

Sure enough, an orange popped out of the top of the onnagata's evening dress and fell to the ground.

As the two samurai struggled together, the fruit rolled down the street, away from the crimson samurai and into a drain. Gorobei, who had been standing by with Shichiroji and Heihachi, now burst into loud laughter. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the tall man just could not help himself.

Kyuuzou's face turned a bright pink, and then an angry white. He elbowed Kanbei sharply in the gut, extricating himself from the bigger man's embrace as the dark ronin stumbled backward with an 'Oooofff!!!'

The female-impersonator-samurai turned around and glared at Kanbei.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" The white-clad samurai said upon seeing Kyuuzou's angry face. "It was just an accident! I swear!"

"Yeah, right!" Shichiroji muttered under his breath. "You _squeezed_ the orange."

The sloppily-dressed samurai was not the only one unconvinced by Kanbei. The elegant drag queen had marched right up to Shimada and was pointing 'her' left sword at him, glowering fiercely.

Gorobei, Heihachi and Shichiroji watched this development with growing concern.

"I'll buy you another orange." The long-haired ronin offered solicitously. "In fact, I'll buy you dinner."

The blond transvestite's angry frown only deepened at that suggestion.

Then Shimada added, "Or would you like to strike me down right now?"

The crimson queen seemed to like this idea better. He gave Kanbei a small, crooked smile as he raised his sword slowly. Gorobei, Shichiroji and Heihachi held their collective breath, wondering if they should intervene.

Then all of a sudden, Kyuuzou lowered his blade. He turned away from Kanbei and walked over to his fallen sword. The slender onnagata lightly kicked the blade upwards with his vampy high heeled boot, catching the handle deftly as the sword hilt flipped up.

"NOT interested," the female impersonator said coolly to Shimada as 'she' sheathed 'her' twin blades. Then the 'lady' in red walked gracefully back to the club entrance without a second look at the older guy.

"Tessai," Kyuuzou said as he passed the stocky blond man wringing his hands next to the broken wall, "Make sure these people pay for the damages."


	5. Responsibility

"I want him!" Shimada Kanbei declared passionately, gazing at the departing figure of Kyuuzou as he swallowed his drool. But his reverie was interrupted by Tessai.

"Excuse me, but does that mecha belong to you?" The stocky blond man said to Kanbei. Tessai pointed in the direction of the robot whose legs were sticking out of the wrecked wall of the House of the Dragonflies. "Why were you trying to interfere with our duties by coming to its aid?"

15 minutes later, the four samurai were standing around Kikichiyo in the parking lot of the House of the Dragonflies.

"What were you doing waving your sword around in public?" Gorobei was addressing the mecha reproachfully. "It was only by sheer luck that no one inside or outside the club was injured!"

"Kikuchiyo, it has been agreed." Kanbei put on a stern face, "You will stay here and clear up the mess that you made. And you will obey the instructions of the management and staff of the House of the Dragonflies while you're here. Understood? In fact, you are not allowed to return home until they inform us that you have done a satisfactory job of repairing the damage that you have caused."

"All right, all right!" The robot said in a huff, blowing steam through the chimney on his head. "I will take responsibility for what I did."

Then he added, "But it's not fair of you guys to go out for a night on the town without Katsushiro and me!!!"

"Katsushiro???" Kanbei was now frowning.

At that moment, the boy emerged furtively from behind a nearby dumpster. Kanbei's frown deepened as his eyes came to rest on the child. "I told you to stay home," the middle-aged ronin said severely. "See the trouble the two of you have caused. Now we have to pay for the reconstruction materials in addition to volunteering Kikuchiyo's labor. And you bet part of that cost is coming out of your pocket money."

The boy hung his head. Kanbei turned to Kikuchiyo. "Your duty was to stay home with him," The dark samurai reminded the mecha.

"Yes, you told me so. But why? Why can't we come with you?" The mecha was annoyed. "If you had let us come with you, none of this would have happened."

Shichiroji interjected, "Katsushiro can't go clubbing! He's underage! And someone has to stay home to babysit him."

"I'm not a baby! I don't need a babysitter!" Katsushiro was outraged. He turned towards Kanbei. "And why? Why are you punishing me by taking my pocket money when Kikuchiyo was the one who did all the damage?"

With that, the child spun around and ran off before anyone could see the tears in his eyes. He took a left turn out of the parking lot and dashed down the busy street.

"Hey! Katsu! Come back!" Gorobei called out after him. "If there is anything you're upset about, we can discuss it."

Katsushiro kept going, pushing his way through the evening crowd. Heihachi and Gorobei exchanged concerned looks, then Heihachi started running after the boy. "Katsunoji!" He called out, "Wait!"

A few minutes later, the mechanic returned, huffing and puffing. "I lost him in the crowd!" said the redhead, "He could have gone down some alley. What are we going to do now?"

The five samurai stared at each other. Kanbei said slowly, "His parents are going to kill me..."

"Maybe we should have given him a cell phone when he asked." Gorobei creased his brows. "That way, we could be calling him now."

"Are you kidding?" Shichiroji responded, "Katsu would have run up a hefty bill by calling Kanna long distance everyday."

"I think we should make a police report." Kikuchiyo suggested.

"We can't." Kanbei rubbed his chin, pondering the situation, "We can only file a missing person report after 48 hours."

"It's so cold of you to say that," Kikuchiyo said, "when you are the one who drove him off."

"Concern yourself with your assigned duties," Shimada answered coldly. Then he addressed the other three samurai. "Katsushiro may have decided to go home by himself. While three samurai search for the boy, one samurai will stay at home to wait for him. This way, if he arrives home, someone will know. Every three hours, one of the searchers will switch shifts with the one waiting at home. We will keep doing this until the child is found, or 48 hours is up, whichever comes first. Heihachi, let's have you head home first."

The mechanic bowed and left. With a collective sigh, the remaining three human samurai parted ways and began their search in the bustling streets of Iyashi no Sato.


	6. Lost and Found

After 3 hours of combing the streets of Iyashi no Sato, Gorobei returned to the apartment shared by the six samurai. Heihachi opened the door and asked. "Has anyone found him yet?"

The big man answered, "If we did, he would be here with me! It's your turn to go search."

The redhead put his shoes on and went out.

After another three hours, Shichiroji returned to the apartment. "Your turn," he said tiredly to Gorobei. The silver-haired man sighed, then he headed for the door.

And so the day passed in hours of fruitless searches.

--

It was Kanbei's third time returning to home base. Katsushiro had been missing for almost 36 hours.

"So, what's the status?" Shichiroji asked his weary leader as Kanbei walked through the apartment door.

"We've combed almost all of the Entertainment District, and asked practically everyone we've met if they've seen a pale boy with dark green hair. No results." Kanbei replied wearily, "I think we'll have to expand our search to other levels of the city."

"I suspected this would be the case, so I took the liberty to make these!" Shichiroji held up a stack of "lost child" posters he had just printed off their home office color printer. Fawn-like, Katsushiro's face stared wide-eyed at them from the shiny white pages.

"Excellent!" Kanbei exclaimed, clapping Shichiroji on the shoulder. "You're ever my brilliant aide."

"I'll take these to the others now," the blond said, "You get some rest."

But try as he might, Shimada could not rest after his friend left. His ward was missing. Who knows where the child might be now? Kidnapped by Ukyo's underworld thugs? Or on the road away from Kougakyo in search of more 'adventure' and danger?

"That rash youngster!" Kanbei sighed.

Just then, he heard a knock on the apartment door. The tall ronin went to the door and looked through the peep hole. He could see Katsushiro's face peering up at him guiltily. A wave of relief washed over the old man. But the samurai also saw at least one more person behind the boy. Kanbei cautiously opened the door while keeping his hand on his sword.

Katsushiro was there, hanging his head. Ayamaro's two drag queens were standing behind him. They were still wearing women's clothing, though they were not as glamorously attired as they were at The House of the Dragonflies. Hyogo was wearing full makeup and a woman's pink blouse together with a man's pants. Kyuuzou was clad in a career woman's stylishly simple red dress slit right up to the thigh to reveal slender legs in black tights.

"Nice legs!" Kanbei noted. He now suspected Hyogo and Kyuuzou were full time cross dressers. But he forced himself to tear his eyes away from the foxy 'scarlet woman' so as not to be perceived as staring rudely at Kyuuzou.

"Katsushiro!" The white-clad samurai exclaimed as he looked down at the boy. "Are you all right?"

Katsushiro was busy looking at his own toes. Kanbei cast a questioning look at Hyogo and Kyuuzou. The two effeminate samurai had identical expressions of irritation on their faces. Shimada's eyes drifted to Kyuuzou's bosom. He noticed that the transvestite had dispensed with his fake boobs, at least for now. Hyogo, too, was currently not stuffing his chest like he did at the House of the Dragonflies.

"We're enforcement agents for the municipal security section of the Governor's office," Hyogo declared briskly as the two onnagata flashed their badges.

Kyuuzou asked Kanbei coldly. "Is this your kid?"

"Er… yes." The broad-shouldered ronin replied.

He noticed the down-turned corners of Kyuuzou's mouth droop even lower at that confession. The tall samurai quickly added, "Er, I mean, I'm his legal guardian. I'm not his father. I'm not married."

The dark warrior deliberately looked Kyuuzou in the eye as he said the last sentence.

The red queen almost rolled his eyes. That was too much information. This middle-aged samurai was starting to feel creepy. Fortunately Hyogo came to the rescue.

"Legal guardian, sperm donor, or whatever you are, we don't care!" The 'lady' in glasses said curtly, "Just keep that brat of yours out of trouble, all right?"

Kyuuzou added icily, "The Magistrate's office has been receiving multiple reports of an unsupervised minor trying to purchase alcohol using a fake id at various sake houses in the Entertainment District. Normally this is not the kind of matter we would waste our time on, but this kid has proven to be a nuisance with his persistence, repeatedly claiming to be older than he really is, and even wearing a fake moustache to support his claims. Business owners fear the revocation of their liquor licenses should this minor succeed in his quest."

"I'm very sorry! It won't happen again." Kanbei bowed apologetically to the two transvestite agents. "Thank you for bringing him back safely. We are in your debt."

Hyogo fixed his cold eyes on Katsushiro and said sternly, "You better behave yourself from now on, young one. Trust me, you do NOT want to be in juvenile detention."

Without another look at Kanbei, the two drag queens turned and walked down the stairs of the apartment building.


	7. Hard to Get

The 'prodigal son' had finally come home. To Katsushiro's relief, Kanbei did not inflict corporeal punishment upon him. The elder samurai simply sent him to his room, or rather, the room that the boy shared with Kikuchiyo.

"You will face the wall and meditate in silence upon your mistakes until Gorobei, Shichiroji and Heihachi have returned," the dark ronin's tone was calm but cold. Katsushiro had no choice but to comply. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, he realized that this 'easy' punishment was worse than an immediate beating. The sense of apprehension was killing him. Would there be further rebuke in store for him upon the return of the other three samurai? What deferred discipline would Kanbei Sensei have up his sleeve?

The samurai boy felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles while he strained his ears in an attempt to eavesdrop on the cell phone conversation Kanbei was now having in the living room. Presumably, the old ronin was contacting the other 3 samurai. But the boy could discern no intelligible syllables through the wall.

Finally, as the boy's legs were turning numb from kneeling for a seemingly interminable time, Katsushiro heard the apartment door open. He could faintly hear Kanbei's greeting through the wall and the responses of the other 3 samurai. The boy fought the temptation to get up from his kneeling position. But Heihachi, Gorobei and Shichiroji did not come to his room to scold him, neither did Kanbei drop by to release him from his confinement.

It wasn't long before he heard sounds in the kitchen. Were the adults cooking dinner? Would he be allowed to eat? Katsushiro was not meditating anymore. He could only think about food. He hadn't had anything to eat since morning.

Finally, after about an hour or so, he heard Shichiroji's voice behind him. "Kanbei-sama says you can get up now."

Willing his numb legs to move, the child struggled to his feet and turned to face the samurai standing at the door of his room.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused," Katsushiro mumbled.

The blond wore no expression. All Shichiroji said in response was, "Gorobei, Heihachi and I spent the entire day pasting lost child posters in Iyashi No Sato and the lower 6 levels of Kougakyo. But now that you've been found, it is your civic duty to remove all those posters from street corners and lamp posts by the end of tomorrow. There are 574 of them. See that you miss none."

Katsushiro's jaw dropped.

Shichiroji turned to leave, then he paused and added a little more kindly, "Dinner is ready. Kanbei-sama says you can join us. You can start your work early tomorrow morning."

--

Shichiroji, Gorobei, Kanbei and Katsushiro sat silently around the dining table in the samurai's shared apartment. Heihachi, the cook for the evening, was serving them dinner. Katsushiro felt most uncomfortable. He imagined that everyone was looking at him reproachfully.

"So… where's Kiku?" The boy finally broke the awkward silence.

"Still working at The House of the Dragonflies," Heihachi replied as he ladled a full scoop of rice into the child's bowl, "But he should be back tomorrow, I think."

"Kid, once you've removed all the posters, you will be SO grounded," Gorobei put a firm hand on Katsushiro's shoulder. The big man wanted to say what needed to be said and get it over with. The boy hung his head.

"Come now," Shichiroji spoke soothingly, "Let's just enjoy the nice reunion meal that Heihachi has prepared for us before it grows cold, all right?"

"But I just want to be like you guys!" Katsushiro finally said what he'd been wanting to say all along, "You guys fight mecha, rescue villages, drink sake and go clubbing. I don't understand why you would bring me along to fight Nobuseri and help villages, but you won't take me drinking or clubbing."

"Clubbing," responded Shichiroji, "is a highly overrated experience."

"You only say that because you've already gone clubbing many times." Katsushiro pouted.

"You will be able to do all these things when you turn 18." Gorobei said, "Can't you wait another three years?"

"I don't want to wait," The boy whined. "I don't want to be a kid anymore."

"You should just enjoy your childhood while you still have it," Kanbei said sagely. "Don't keep wishing you are a grownup. Someday, when you grow old, you will wish that you are young again. Trust me. I know."

"You really feel the age now that you're chasing some hot young blonde, right?" Shichiroji kept a straight face as he looked right at Kanbei.

"Haha. Very funny, Shichiroji," The white-clad ronin stared back at his friend with a very un-amused expression. Shichiroji was the only one of the samurai who had known Kanbei long enough and well enough to make such jokes and get away with it.

"Speaking of that samurai," Gorobei interrupted, "What are you going to do about him?"

"Oh?" Kanbei answered nonchalantly. "Which samurai?"

"Come on," said the dark silver-haired man, "You know who I'm talking about. At least he knows where you live now. There is hope."

"Didn't you see what happened at the House of the Dragonflies? The 'lady' in red wanted to kill me!" The dark-haired ronin replied.

"Ah, the onnagata was angry with you. That means he likes you." Gorobei grinned.

"Is that how things work?!!!" Shichiroji exclaimed incredulously. "'She' wants to kill him, so it means 'she' likes him?"

"In this case, yes!" Gorobei answered confidently, "It's a sure sign that the scarlet samurai is smitten with our leader."

Just then, there was a sharp knock at the door. Kanbei went over to the door and opened it. The blond female impersonator was standing there.

"See what I told you?" Gorobei gave a triumphant smile to Shichiroji.

"Can I help you?" Shimada asked Kyuuzou while his eyes roamed all over the younger samurai's slender frame.

"I'm not here on official business," the crimson-clad transvestite crossed his arms defensively as if to prevent the dark samurai from undressing him with his eyes.

"Oh?" said Kanbei.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Finally the older man broke the strained silence. "If it is about that orange, we have a dozen oranges in the refrigerator. You're welcome to take your pick or have them all …"

"I don't want an orange." The onnagata was curt. "I want a duel."

"Sure, I'll be happy to have a date with you. You name the time and place." Kanbei answered obligingly.

"I said 'duel', NOT 'date'!" Kyuuzou bristled.

"Anything you wish!" The handsome dark man said suavely, "Where and when should we meet?"

"Whenever and wherever." The graceful queen replied. He turned to leave. Kanbei stared at the scarlet figure, puzzled.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Shimada ventured. "My friend here has cooked an excellent meal."

"This guy really doesn't get it, does he?" Kyuuzou thought. The red drag queen answered Kanbei coldly, "No."

"Can I have your number?" asked Shimada Kanbei.

"What for?" Kyuuzou turned to give Shimada a small smile, "We'll be seeing each other again anyway."

Then he walked away without another glance at the tall dark man drooling behind him.

Within the apartment, Gorobei laughed riotously as he glomped Shichiroji's shoulder, "Whoa… he's playing hard to get! Poor Kanbei is left hanging again."


	8. First Duel

The next day, Katsushiro dutifully made his way through 6 levels of Kougakyo, collecting the lost child posters that the other samurai had put up on his behalf. The weariness of this long trek was nothing compared to the embarrassment involved in his mundane task . Passers-by would shift their eyes from the boy to the face on the posters that he was taking down. Then they would either raise their eyebrows or stare at him oddly. Or both.

Kanbei was waiting at home when the boy returned with 499 posters in his possession.

"Sensei, I couldn't find all 574 of them." The young samurai confessed. "The missing ones were probably vandalized."

The old ronin nodded curtly without showing any sign of approval, or disapproval for that matter. But inwardly, he was pleased with his disciple. Young Katsushiro had taken up his duty without complaint and apparently executed it to the best of his ability.

Katsushiro almost sighed with relief upon realizing there would be no further rebuke from his elders. But as Gorobei stated, the kid was now grounded for a month. Everyday, he had to return home promptly after school.

Two weeks went by without any misbehavior from young Okamoto, who diligently practiced his sword fighting and archery skills in the training hall after he was done with his homework. Kikuchiyo, too, had returned from the House of the Dragonflies upon finishing his repair work. And much to the surprise of Kanbei and Gorobei, the staff of the House of the Dragonflies had no complaints about the mecha's attitude.

Thus Shimada Kanbei was quite satisfied with how things were going at home, except in one regard. These two weeks had passed without a word from Kyuuzou. Kanbei was beginning to despair of seeing the drag queen again. He briefly entertained the idea of sending a love letter to Kyuuzou's workplace – the Municipal Security Division of Kougakyo City Government - but decided against it for the time being. The old ronin did not want to give the impression of being a crazy stalker.

One fine morning, Kanbei and Gorobei were just about to leave their apartment building on their way to work when they came across Kyuuzou loitering in the lobby. Shimada, his eyes lighting up at the crimson vision, stepped forward to call out a greeting. But before the words could leave his mouth, the red drag queen strode up to him and handed him a note wordlessly, after which the onnagata left as silently as he had arrived.

As Kanbei stared after the departing figure, Gorobei said, "Let's see what the note says."

Tearing his gaze away from Kyuuzou's slender form, the long haired samurai unfolded the piece of pink rose-scented paper that the onnagata had passed him. It read: "Duel at 6:25pm in the Downtown Park, next to the rose garden."

"Congratulations!" Gorobei slapped his friend on the shoulder. "You're going on your first 'date'!"

--

For Kanbei, the day seemed to pass with excruciating slowness while he counted the hours before his meeting with Kyuuzou. Right after work, the dark-haired man hurried to the grass patch next to the public park's rose garden. Kyuuzou came alone but Gorobei accompanied Kanbei. With Gorobei as onlooker/judge, the two samurai drew their swords. Kyuuzou, being the first to attack, rushed straight at Kanbei who parried Kyuuzou's opening strike with his blade. The samurai onnagata tried again and again to breach the ronin's defenses, but Kanbei was too cautious. So they went back and forth without either side having the upper hand.

As Gorobei was munching on his packet of Giant Pocky, watching the exciting fight, who should come along but Miss Mono-eye and Nose Band Lady. The two onnagata were admiring flowers in the park when they came across their 'sister' under attack by some unknown male. Immediately, Tessai's onnagata fighters came to Kyuuzou's aid.

Nose Band Lady fired his mechanized arm gun at Kyuuzou's opponent. Flinging the Giant Pocky aside, quick-eyed Gorobei intercepted all 5 projectiles before they could reach Kanbei. Annoyed, the two 'ladies' set themselves on the silver-haired man. Now Kanbei abandoned Kyuuzou and came to save his friend from the vicious drag queens. The long-haired ronin took on Nose Band Lady while Gorobei fought Miss Mono-Eye.

"Stop it!" Kyuuzou yelled, but no one could hear him above the din of screams and curses. Within seconds, Kanbei had taken Nose Band Lady's weaponized arm off while Gorobei had Miss Mono-Eye's extendable arms all tied up in knots. Gorobei was about to put Miss Mono-Eye's eye out of commission when Kyuuzou rushed over and knocked the tall man away from his fellow onnagata.

"Stop it! All of you!" The red queen shouted. "This is my match! No one intervenes!"

"Oh… I'm sorry…" responded Miss Mono-Eye. "We thought you were under attack!"

"My arm… my arm…" Whining loudly, Nose Band Lady glared reproachfully at Kanbei.

"First things first. Let's get you two to the repair shop," Kyuuzou said, casting an annoyed glance at the groaning and moaning 'lady' with reddish-pink hair.

As the crimson-clad transvestite walked away supporting a wounded drag queen on each arm, Kanbei called after him, "Shall we do this another time?"

Kyuuzou, turning slightly, shot Kanbei a look of cold irritation. Then he walked on.


	9. Wrong Gift, Unexpected Guest

The next day, work went on as usual at the Security Section of the Kougakyo Governor's Office. But when Kyuuzou returned from lunch break, his colleague Hyogo had unexpected news for him.

"A delivery came for you by Turtle Express." The bespectacled onnagata glanced at the tasteful-looking gift box sitting on Kyuuzou's desk. With the red gift box was a thank you card.

Going over to his desk, the red samurai opened the card. It read, "Thank you for spending time with me at the park yesterday. I very much appreciate the chance to get to know you better. P.S. Here is a token of my regard. Because the most beautiful onnagata in the world deserves better than oranges."

The card was signed by Shimada Kanbei. The red warrior frowned. Then Kyuuzou opened the box and turned almost as red as his dress.

--

It was Kanbei and Gorobei's turn to cook dinner for the samurai household that evening. As the two tall men busied themselves in the kitchen, they heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get the door," Heihachi said obligingly, putting down the newspaper that he was reading. Moments later, the short redhead shouted into the apartment, "Kanbei, there is someone here for you!"

The dark ronin washed his hands and came to the apartment door. Kyuuzou was standing there, holding the crimson gift box.

After studying the elegant onnagata's expressionless face for a moment, Kanbei finally asked, "Are they the wrong size? I was thinking that Size D really doesn't go with your figure, so I settled for Size A. But if you want a bigger size, I'll be happy to go exchange them."

Kyuuzou was a little relieved to hear that. He was half expecting the king of sleazy lines to say, "Will you wear them for me?" Or something similarly gross. In that case, he would have to kill the tall ronin. Still the silent samurai remained silent.

Kanbei was now wondering if Kyuuzou was insulted because he said the onnagata was a Size A. So the dark ronin added anxiously, "Please say something. Tell me what you want me to do. I would like to know your preferences."

Kyuuzou finally spoke, flushing an angry red, "If I want silicon breast enhancers, I'd buy them myself."

He shoved the box into Kanbei's arms, spun sharply around, and marched off.

"That old pervert got away easy!" The crimson drag queen thought. "I should have given him a couple of tight slaps."

In actuality, Kyuuzou had felt tempted to keep the silicon pads. He could afford to buy the accessories himself on his decent paycheck, but the crimson samurai was quite stingy as far as personal luxuries were concerned. Yet his pride did not allow him to accept such a gift from the hentai ojisan. How could he put on items that the dirty Kanbei had probably been fingering with impure thoughts in mind?

Kanbei called out after the departing queen, "About our next date, I mean duel…"

The female impersonator ignored him and walked on. As much as Kyuuzou wanted to find out who was the better fighter of the two of them, he was not sure if he wanted to get another 'thank you' gift from Kanbei. Who knows what that Shimada fellow would buy him next? Lingerie?

--

Kanbei spent the next few days moping around at home after work. The other samurai could not help noticing that the old man had lost his usual interest in nightlife. Gorobei, Shichiroji and Heihachi were a little concerned; Kanbei had not spoken of what put him in a low mood, but his teammates suspected that it had to do with Kyuuzou's returned gift, now sitting inconspicuously at the top of the rosewood bookcase in Kanbei's room.

"Is he going to return that purchase or what?" Shichiroji wondered. "What's the point of keeping it around?"

"C'mon, Kanbei," Gorobei called out to his leader evening after evening. "Let's go for a drink at the sake house! It'll cheer you up!"

Each time, the long-haired ronin politely declined, saying he has to review the intelligence reports that the samurai's private security company had received from clients or gathered on their own.

But when Masamune dropped by one evening for a visit, Kanbei politely put on a smiling face and had some drinks together with the old metal smith. Masamune had brought a large earthenware jug of brown rice wine. Whatever Kanbei's mood was, it would have been impolite to decline to drink with their guest.

The 5 adult samurai and their old acquaintance exchanged pleasantries around the living room table while Heihachi poured out cup after cup of wine. Katsushiro did not join the drinking party. After greeting Masamune, the samurai schoolboy retired to his bedroom to 'do homework', or at least that was what he told Kanbei. But Shichiroji suspected the boy was probably taking the chance to play video games. Vague hints of background music and fighting game sound effects were drifting through the thin apartment wall.

Just as the grownups were making small talk about work and weather over the subtle aroma of the fragrant brown liquid, the telephone in the hallway rang. Shichiroji got up from his seat to answer the call when Katsushiro popped his head out of his room.

"I'll get it," The boy volunteered.

Nodding, Shichiroji returned to his place at the table. Since Katsushiro did not call for any of the samurai after picking up the phone, the adults simply assumed that the call must be from one of the teen's school friends.

But not a minute had passed before an excited squee reverberated through the hallway. Kanbei turned in the direction of Katsushiro, annoyed at his charge's unsamurai display of undignified emotion in front of their guest. But his disapproving gaze was wasted on the oblivious Katsushiro.

"Kirara is coming to Kougakyo again!" The dark-haired child burst into the living room. "She will be taking the University of Kougakyo Entrance Exam in one and a half weeks!"

"Oh?" Gorobei and Heihachi peeled their lips from their wine cups and turned towards the boy.

"Please, can she stay with us?" The wide-eyed youngster gushed. "She says she'll only be here for two days, but it would be nice if she could stay longer, don't you think? We can really show her around the city. She didn't have the chance to have much of a tour last time."

Kanbei's expression turned a tad bit less welcoming. Their apartment was already crowded. And schedule-wise, this was really not the best time for the household to be entertaining visitors. The samurai had just taken on a contract to bring security to one of Kougakyo's worst neighborhoods, the Ichijou district. As Gorobei had just been telling Masamune, this outcaste neighborhood was historically neglected by police and health services because of the low property values. Ambulances and firefighters were reluctant show up when called, partly due to the district's crime rate. Even street cleaners shunned Ichijou because they feared for their own safety. Finally community activists had enough and decided to hire the famed Kanna Samurai to patrol the streets.

Some days earlier, the headman of the district and a citizens' committee had begged Kanbei and Gorobei with many tears. "Please lend your shining strength to us. All it takes is your presence to make the darkness flee our streets. Once the drug dealers and pimps leave the neighborhood, the street cleaners could do their work and the residents' morale would rise. We dream of many things – better schools, more health care facilities, more business investments in the community, but none of these would come to pass as long as our people's spirits remain low and they have no pride. Please get rid of the crooks. Then train us to organize neighborhood self-defense committees so that we can continue your legacy."

Kanbei knew that scouring Ichijou wouldn't be an easy job. According to reports from inhabitants of the district, one Ichijou resident who waged an anti-drug campaign in his neighborhood had already been shot and killed. Another community organizer was brutally beaten by unidentified assailants in his own home. The violent drug traffickers and pushers operating in the bowels of Kougakyo had defied even Ayamaro's highly trained police force. The samurai would not have an easy time, but Kanbei found himself oddly sympathetic towards the citizens' committee of Ichijou, whose members were less whiny and showed more of an independent spirit of self-help than the some of the snivelers of Kanna who seemed more adept at the blame game.

Thus the samurai found themselves signed up for another dangerous project that had potentially low returns. Ichijou, having no rice to give the samurai, promised cash payments once district revenues picked up.

At this point, Kanbei's grave thoughts were once again interrupted by young Katsushiro's high-pitched, persistent voice. "Please, can she stay? Can she stay? Komachi is coming with her too!"

"Trust Kirara to impose her needs on others," Kanbei thought sourly, recalling how insistent the Mikumari had been when she recruited him for the Kanna Defense Project. Almost immediately, he chided himself for the ungenerous thought.

"Still, it would be better for Kirara to find lodging elsewhere. A cheap hostel like the one the peasants stayed in during their first visit to Kougakyo, perhaps?" Wondered the old ronin.

But it seemed that neither Katsushiro nor Kikuchiyo were waiting for his decision. The red robot was now speaking in his always-louder-than-needed voice. "Oh, of course the Mikumari sisters can stay with us! We'll be delighted to have them here! And tell little Komachi I'll take her around the city and show her all the cool places!"

"Yes!" Katsushiro, shouting joyfully, rushed back to the phone.

"Peasants and their lack of personal boundaries," Heihachi sighed inwardly, listening to his young colleague discussing the details of the upcoming visit with Kirara. Friendly and open as the mechanic was, he still did not feel fully comfortable with the way country folk like Kikuchiyo and Kirara unhesitatingly opened their hearts and homes to others and expected the same in return.

Observing Kanbei's unreadable expression, Shichiroji leaned over and whispered. "We can discuss this further… maybe I can talk to Yukino about putting the sisters up. True, Iyashi no Sato is out of the way if Kirara is planning a trip to the university, but I suppose if she starts out early in the morning, she will be able to take the exam on time."

"Un," Kanbei said neutrally.

Taking in all of these, Masamune interrupted in a tentative voice, "Er, folks, maybe I should leave now, the evening is getting late… I don't wish to be a bother."

"No, no, you're not causing us any inconvenience, Masamune," Gorobei shifted his keen eyes from his leader to their guest. "Please stay for a little longer. We haven't finished your wonderful jar of wine yet. I think the 6 of us can do better as drinkers, ne?"

Lifting his wine cup, the big man proposed a toast. "Here's to the success of our upcoming Ichijou project! Masamune, we may be needing your valuable expertise soon, if the past is anything to go by."

"Cheers!" The rest of the men at the table promptly followed Gorobei's lead.

"An awkward domestic moment has been temporarily smoothed over by good ol' Gorobei," Shichiroji noted with a half-amused, half-exasperated smile. "But I think there will still be trouble, trivial and not-so-trivial to come. With a risky new mission hanging over our heads, I don't know if I want to deal with a lovesick old fool and a lovesick young fool in the same household at the same time… Now that Kirara is making a reappearance, we can only expected more angst and antics from Katsunoji…"


	10. Day One in Ichijou

Notes:

- Dear Kyuu fans, Kyuuzou will be back after a few chapters. Stay tuned ;-)

- My Kikuchiyo interpretation in this particular fic is more socially aware and well-informed than the canon version. After all, this is AU. ;-)

--

The day after Masamune's visit was the first day of the workweek. Katsushiro went to school as usual while the five grown up samurai took City Elevator 5 down to the Metal Workers' Level of the city. From there, they transferred to yet another elevator, the smaller and dirtier City Elevator 21, which would take them yet lower into Ichijou – the untouchables' district inhabited mostly by tanners, undertakers and other people in 'unclean' operations. Ichijou was the lowest level of incorporated Kougakyo but the main route into the city bypassed it and went straight to the third level where the major transportation hubs were located. Few people wanted to go to Ichijou if they didn't have to.

The only city level lower than Ichijou was Iyashi no Sato. This canyon suburb, nominally part of unincorporated Kougakyo, was in practice a self-governing region that paid rather high taxes to Kougakyo City Government in exchange for its autonomy.

"Ichijou may have fared better if it followed Iyashi no Sato's example of self-governance," Kanbei thought, glancing around the elevator whose floor was half covered with trash. "But Ichijou doesn't have what Iyashi no Sato has – a robust economy and well-filled district coffers."

Smiling Heihachi spoke up, as if reading the old samurai's thoughts. "Another no-pay job, eh? Kanbei-sama, looks like we attract a lot of those. Ever worry about your retirement fund?"

"What retirement?" The older man gave the redhead an annoyed look. The former military commander had once counted on having a soldier's pension, but losing the war put an end to that financial cushion. Now any talk that reminded him of the lost war irritated Shimada just a little.

"The citizen's committee will feed us breakfast, lunch and dinner," Shichiroji's cheerful voice dispelled the awkward moment following Heihachi's innocent question. "And we will get 0.5 of annual district revenues once the annual total exceeds 1,00,000 yen AND they renovate the elementary school, the middle school, and the health clinic."

"Looks like it might be 10 years or more before we get a tiny return on our investment." Gorobei smiled wryly, wrinkling his nose at the smell of stale urine in the transport elevator. "I only hope I'll still be around then."

The elevator finally reached Ichijou with a bump. As the sliding metal doors slowly creaked open, Kikuchiyo cranked his robotic arm eagerly. "Can hardly wait to kick some drug dealer butt!"

"I've already made it clear," Kanbei said sternly. "We're not going to Ichijou to 'kick butt'. We're going there to support the citizen's committee! And we will not attack anyone, drug dealers included, unless they first attack us. Bear in mind that we're not the city police and vigilante activity is illegal in Kougakyo."

"But if Ayamaro's lame city police did their job, the citizens of Ichijou won't have to hire us." The mecha pointed out. "Those cowardly cops probably protect only the rich people's neighborhoods because those are the districts that pay more property taxes."

The 5 samurai made their way through the dilapidated streets to the home of old Okuni, chair of the citizens' committee of Ichijou. The elderly lady welcomed them warmly, inviting the warriors to sit down to a simple breakfast of ramen and egg. A few committee members and other concerned residents had also squeezed into Okuni's tiny apartment, eager to introduce themselves and give input for the upcoming neighborhood cleanup project.

While the samurai were still slurping their ramen, a middle-aged man arrived at the apartment. This gray-uniformed fellow joined the others in the crowded living room, but unlike the other attendees, he looked distinctly uncomfortable. Okuni told the samurai that this new arrival was Toshio, "a representative from the Tsurumoto Waste Management Company, the corporation that holds the contract from Kougakyo City Government for street cleaning and garbage collection services in Ichijou."

The residents respectfully waited for the samurai to finish their meal before launching into an involved discussion about the samurai's work for the upcoming week. The citizens' committee wanted the samurai to establish a 'safe zone' through which children could make their way to the district's only school on Main Street without being accosted by drug pushers.

"All the children should be in school by 8am," said the wrinkled Okuni, "after which the street cleaners can make their rounds in the safe zone. There's more we would like you to do during the rest of the day, but let's just start with this, for now."

"Can you tell me the boundaries of the intended safe zone?" Kanbei asked. In response, one of the resident committee members, Masahiro by name, brought out a district map and laid it on the table. He marked out the quadrangle encompassed by Berry Street, Plum Street, Asparagus Avenue and Radish Avenue – Main Street ran through the middle of this 2x4 rectangle.

Kanbei studied the map briefly – the "safe zone" comprised of 8 blocks – it seemed a manageable area, but the experienced commander said cautiously, "We have to survey the area before I can determine if it can be covered by the number of samurai we have. "

"Specifically, we need to determine if there are any obstacles to visibility or hideouts for snipers." Gorobei added. "The more hidden corners and side alleys there are, the more difficult it would be for us to keep a close watch on goings on in the zone with a limited number of personnel. On the other hand, if building owners can grant us access to elevated areas, it could make surveillance easier."

"Main Street is straight and wide, with three-to-four storey-tall buildings on either side." Masahiro answered. "And most businesses on that street are operating, though the drug pushers congregate openly even on Main Street. Berry Street and Plum Street are home to a number of unoccupied storefronts and empty buildings…"

"I see," Kanbei said, rubbing his chin.

Now Okuni had turned her attention to Toshio from Tsurumoto Waste Management Company. "If the samurai can commit to keeping the 'safe zone' open between 7am and 10am, can your company commit to getting at least the 'safe zone' clean within that time every single day?"

Toshio wiped his brow nervously and stammered, "Ah…well…"

The old lady's eyes narrowed. "The proposed 'safe zone' is only 1/20th of the entire district that you have been commissioned to clean! Your garbage trucks and sweepers show up only once or twice a week, and sometimes not at all, when they're supposed to be working everyday! What we're asking of you now is less than what you are already expected to do! At least commit to cleaning these 8 blocks well for a start!"

"Well, I supposed our cleaners could do that if the 'safe zone' is really safe…" the gray-uniformed street cleaning company representative conceded reluctantly. "But one of our road sweepers and one of our garbage truck drivers had already been killed during armed robberies in Ichijou over the past 2 years…"

"Well, now that we're done with breakfast," Shichiroji interjected in his easygoing voice, "let's go take a look around Main Street. We samurai would appreciate it very much if some citizens can accompany us and introduce as to the business operators and real estate owners who operate in the proposed 'safe zone.'"

"The business owners are eagerly awaiting your arrival," Masahiro said excitedly. "They have great expectations."

"Looking forward to making their acquaintance!" Heihachi smiled and bowed.

"On the other hand, we the citizens' committee had tried to get in touch with the landlords in that area concerning this street cleanup project," Masahiro's voice dropped a little, "but most of them have not bothered to reply to our letters. Almost all of the landlords don't live in this district – they're wealthy merchants who dwell in the higher city levels. I'm not too surprised that they don't really care what's going on as long as they can keep collecting rent."

Kikuchiyo struck the table with mild force – which was inappropriate force by human standards – causing the noodle bowls to rattle. "Short-sighted merchants! All they care about is immediate profit! Don't they realize that real estate prices will go up once the district becomes safer?!"

"Come now, Kikunoji," quick-handed Gorobei reached out to steady a couple of bowls that came close to falling off the table's edge, "Masahiro said that most of the merchants did not reply to the citizens' messages, which means that **some** of them did reply. We can try working with those few who are less indifferent."

"Masahiro," Kanbei said, rising to his feet. "Will you or another member of the citizens' committee be disposed to introduce us to the landlords who are willing to meet with us?"

"Okuni and I will accompany you," replied the elderly Masahiro. "The other committee members must leave now to go to their day jobs."

"We are most pleased to have your guidance," Kanbei said graciously as the group headed out of Okuni's small apartment.


	11. Mochi Politics

Having finished the simple dinner he prepared for himself after school, Katsushiro busied himself in the apartment kitchen while eagerly awaiting the return of the 5 adult samurai. Although Kanbei had told the boy not to bother with cooking for the rest of the household - the grownups expected to be fed dinner by their new employers in Ichijou - young Katsu thought he would surprise them with some dessert – balls of glutinous rice flour stuffed with sweet red bean paste.

The teen wanted to do something to get back into the adults' good books after being 'grounded' indefinitely for his nightclub crashing and sake-buying fiasco. Maybe, if they were pleased with him, they would lift his punishment and he could go hang out at the arcade with his schoolmates after kendo club practice like he used to. He hadn't managed to breach Level 7 on that Samurai vs Bandits fighting game yet.

As luck would have it, Katsushiro's trained ears picked up the footsteps of his comrades coming up to the door when he was rolling the last lump of mochi dough in starch.

"Welcome home!" Katsushiro shouted, rushing to the door. Gorobei and Kanbei entered, followed by the other three samurai.

"Look what I've made for you!" Eagerly, the boy gestured at the tray of mochi on the table.

"My, oh my!" Heihachi's usually squinted eyes suddenly became big and round with anticipation, staring at the dessert. "You're most wonderfully considerate, my lad."

Katsushiro beamed at his comrade's affirmation.

"Have you done your homework yet?" Kanbei eyed the boy suspiciously. "I hope you've not spent what is supposed to be homework time on making mochi."

Katsushiro's face fell, the boy's feelings were injured by old Shimada's lack of approval for his hours of culinary labor.

"I've finished the math homework. I was planning on finishing the literature essay afterwards…" the youngest samurai answered in a defensive tone.

Kikuchiyo, loudly blowing a sudden jet of steam through his head vent, turned to their leader. "Kanbei, don't be such a party pooper! The kid deserves a 'thank you' for his efforts, at least. What are we waiting for?! Let's eat the mochi together, and then Katsu will do the rest of his homework. I'll make sure of that, as his roommate."

With that, the robot and Heihachi led the way to the table, followed by Gorobei and Shichiroji, who each gave poor Katsushiro a few words of appreciation.

"You've worked hard."

"Thank you for the treat."

Kanbei scowled at this little mutiny, but when all the rest sat down at the table and waited for their leader to take his place, Kanbei took his seat with a heavy sigh. All 5 pairs of waiting eyes were fixed on the long-haired ronin. By protocol, the leader should take the first bite.

Here Kanbei saw his opportunity to re-establish to the samurai team that he was still the head of the household, and that he should be the one calling the shots.

Instead of beginning to eat the treats, and thereby freeing his subordinates to dig into the delicious mochi too, the cunning old soldier launched into a speech.

"I would like to thank everyone for their hard work in Ichijou so far. We have laid down a framework for our plan, but going forward, we should not expect things to go as smoothly as they did on the first day."

Shichiroji nodded in agreement. Commander Shimada took his time to slowly look at each of the samurai in the eye.

"No doubt our adversaries, the crime gangs, will soon learn of our presence, if they haven't already. And they will probably fight us for every inch of their turf. They may not have the size and firepower of the bandits at Kanna, but they have the benefit of being able to conceal themselves in an urban setting. A drawn out urban guerilla war in Ichijou will endanger the residents and we must avoid it as far as possible."

Gorobei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. At an unhurried pace, Kanbei continued his speech.

"We've already finalized our schedule earlier today, but I will repeat it now for Katsushiro's benefit. While working on this project, each of the grownup samurai will have one day a week off. Each team member will take his break on a different day, so that there will be at least 4 samurai on duty on in Ichijou on any given day."

Kanbei paused, as if to let the information sink in. Heihachi wondered if the leader had decided to stop talking and start eating. The mechanic could hardly wait to put a mochi in his own mouth, but he couldn't possibly commit the rudeness of being the first to eat when he was not the first in the social hierarchy.

Kanbei smirked. He was not done talking yet. The white-clad ronin now turned to Katsushiro. "Katsushiro, you will be on duty in Ichijou only on the 6th and 7th day of each week because you have to be in school for the rest of the week. But don't fall behind on your homework."

The boy nodded earnestly. "I will do my best."

"This works out quite nicely for both us grownups and the kid," Kanbei thought. "Since Katsushiro is home after school except on the weekends, the duty of entertaining the guests from Kanna will fall to him most of the time, and the rest of us can get some serious work done."

"But Kanbei…" Katsushiro suddenly remembered something. "Kirara and Komachi are coming to Kougakyo on the 7th day of next week… If I have to work on that day, who is going to meet them at the 3rd Level transit center and bring them here? They haven't been to this part of town before…"

"Kanbei, if I'm not mistaken, you are the one who has the 7th day of the week off, right?" Shichiroji asked.

"That seems to be the case…" The old ronin was not expecting this turn of conversation.

"That settles it!" Kikuchiyo slapped the table top. "Kanbei will meet Kirara and Komachi at the transit center!"

"Kirara told me that she'll be arriving at around 2pm," Katsushiro chimed in. "But given that they're walking all the way from Kanna, they might be a little early or a little late, depending on weather and road conditions. During her phone call, I told her that I will be at the transit center at 2pm, but since I have duty in Ichijou on that day, you can be the one to welcome Kirara instead, Kanbei-sama. She'll be delighted to see you!"

Kanbei sighed inwardly. It seemed that his acquiescence was already taken for granted.

"Who is the one giving orders around here?" The leader wondered in silence. Thwarted in his efforts to turn the tables on his followers in this little domestic power game, Shimada silently picked up a mochi and chewed on it glumly.

Shichiroji gave his dour leader a sympathetic look, but kept his thoughts to himself. "Well, the old guy hasn't quite recovered since the day Kyuuzou returned his gift… We've been seeing less of Kanbei's kind, easygoing old self."

But the rest of the samurai were not as sensitive to Shimada's moods when there was dessert to occupy their attention. Gorobei, Heihachi Kikuchiyo, and young Katsushiro were already digging into the plate of rice flour balls with loud, lip-smacking relish.

With a helpless shrug, Shichiroji turned his attention from brooding Kanbei to the rapidly diminishing plate of mochi, darting out his one natural arm into the midst of the feeding frenzy to make sure he got his fair share.

--

The following day, the 5 grownup samurai returned to work in Ichijou. Things went surprisingly smoothly.

Starting at 7 am, Kikuchiyo and Heihachi patrolled Main Street, watching the school children of the outcast class make their way to the dilapidated building that housed both the elementary and secondary schools. The children stared curiously at the samurai, but made no effort to approach them.

"Good morning," friendly Heihachi called out now and then to the passing school kids. Some returned his greeting politely, while others ran past the 2 samurai almost fearfully.

By casual observation, Kikuchiyo concluded that there weren't many students attending school, and as the ages of the students increased, their numbers dropped sharply – few born in the outcast class had an incentive to further their education, given that their 'untouchable' status made it difficult for them to transition out of the 'unclean' occupations into which they had been born.

After acquiring a basic literacy sufficient for reading account books and product labels, many students dropped out of school to help in their family businesses. But there were a limited number of employment opportunities for undertakers, butchers, tanners and the like. When there were more children than job openings in family businesses, some of these jobless offspring resorted to petty crime and other illegal activities to earn their living.

The unemployment problem among the untouchables was less acute during the Great War. Quite a number of their youth found work in the armies. Their job was following after samurai, retrieving dead bodies and keeping a tally of heads collected from beheaded enemies, for Heaven forbid that the noble samurai make themselves ritually impure by handling corpses. But once the war was over, the untouchables lost this alternative way of making a living. The end of the war also impacted the once lucrative undertaking businesses and the tanning businesses. There were now fewer corpses to bury, and the tanners lost of a major consumer of leather goods – the military.

Many untouchables once employed by the military returned to their homes to find that the family business had passed to siblings or other relatives who had no need, or no money, for another hired help, not even a family member.

Not long after, drug dealing, smuggling, and other illegal activities started to multiply in Ichijou.

Recalling that Okuni had warned them about the drug dealers and pimps who appeared on the streets, Heihachi remarked to his companion. "I don't see a single suspicious character in sight."

Kikuchiyo was still keeping his guard up, looking high and low at the windows of the surrounding buildings, peering round street corners, grasping his sword handle in a light grip, ready for enemies and action. But none came his way.

It was possible that the visible presence of armed professionals was in itself a deterrent to the criminals, Heihachi guessed.

By 8am, most of the children were in school. Heihachi and Kikuchiyo continued to patrol Main Street, waiting for the garbage trucks of Tsurumoto Waste Management Company to show up. They were disappointed but not quite surprised when the street cleaners did not appear.

"What a bunch of losers," grumbled Kikuchiyo. "They did not keep their promise to old Okuni."

"Well, that Toshio fellow said they would commit to sending the trucks out IF we can keep the Safe Zone safe," Heihachi surmised. "And right now, Tsurumoto Waste Management is probably taking a 'wait-and-see' approach. If we succeed in keeping the peace here for a couple of weeks, the street cleaners will probably finally feel safe enough to perform their duties."

"I sure hope so," The robot replied. "I sure hope so. But I think our enemies are also taking a 'wait-and-see' approach. They are probably observing us in secret even now, trying to figure out our motivations and limits before making their plans. Mark my words, we will be tested soon enough."

--

**Note:**

Although my fics are NOT intended to be accurate or authentic representations of the histories and peoples of the real world, I have to acknowledge that I owe inspiration to non-fiction sources.

For example, the role of untouchables (_eta_, literally 'much filth') in this story is inspired by the following passages from "Secrets of the Samurai" (Ratti/Westbrook):

_Given the Buddhist abhorrence for any soiling contact with blood (somewhat paradoxical within the context of a culture which had made a cult of the sword it fell to these eta, in return for a virtual and higher lucrative monopoly right, to slaughter animals, tan their hides, and produce leather goods such as armors, and also to serve "as prison guards, guards of persons paraded for punishment, and as executioners" (Yazaki 218)._

And

_Now a samurai could not touch a corpse without being defiled… (Diosy) _


End file.
